Dawn
by allurement
Summary: AU. Multiple pairings. “This is what remains of the great Uchiha, little brother. Take a good look, because tomorrow, it’ll be like they never existed.” This is for those who fall.
1. Chapter 1:: The World

**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Pairing:** Undecided. Most probably SasuSaku.  
**Summary:** AU. In a world where those caught out after Curfew are slaughtered, where Communism, fear and death are ways of life, and where the Akatsuki might as well be gods, Uchiha Sasuke discovers a group of people who still know what freedom means.  
**Disclaimer:** Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. Plot © me. The italised lyrics beneath the chapter title © The Last Firstborn — Celldweller.  
**Note:** I've been getting a mass of PMs about this, so I want to clear this up so I won't have to repeat myself 2782352 times again; when I first learned English, I learnt how to spell words the British way, not the American one. Therefore, random words will have _u_'s in them, and _z_'s will be replaced by _s_'s. Just so everyone knows. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter One:** The World  
_Oh man, I can't believe you did what he said you did_

He ran.

And he ran.

And he ran.

* * *

A cool breeze blew by.

Sasuke paused and relished in it. It felt so foreign, yet so familiar, this gentle wind on his skin; it had been too long. He looked up at the sky, so bright and beautiful and_ was that sunset_, those wonderful, glorious colours streaked across the sky? If he had any energy in him, he would have laughed. Cried. Showed some kind of emotion.

But he was dead-tired and he needed a place to stay for the night. Curfew was drawing dangerously close, and if any Followers were to find him, he would be back at Square One.

Scratch that. He would be dead for running away. If he could escape once, he could escape again.

The Akatsuki wouldn't take any chances. Not with him.

* * *

"_Aniki! What's happening, where are Otou-san and Okaa-san? Where are we, what's happening? Aniki, where are you going? Aniki!"_

Sasuke shot up from the cement floor of the derelict warehouse he had taken refuge in, panting. He wiped the sweat off his brow and froze.

Footsteps.

Someone was here.

He silently got up and crept to a dark corner, hiding behind an old crate. It was old and dusty, and he could barely make out the word 'FIREWORKS' stamped across it.

The warehouse itself wasn't brand new either. Sasuke could tell just by looking the height of the ceiling and the faded graffiti on its walls that it had been around for quite sometime, probably even before the Takeover, if anything before then even still existed.

There were voices.

Voice_**s**_.

There was more than one person here.

Sasuke cursed under his breath. Maybe he could have taken out one person, but he was in no condition to take down two or more. He was tired, famished, and the sheer torture of what he had been put through for the past ten years was enough to send anyone to an early grave.

But he had finally tasted freedom again for the first time in a decade, and he wasn't about to give that back so easily.

A bang.

"Naruto, you idiot! Now I know why Sakura hates teaming up with you when we have to do rounds."

"I'll have you know that anyone would be honoured to do their rounds with me, and that Sakura-chan is missing out big time."

Sasuke strained his ears. It appeared that there were only two of them, and at least one of them was a klutz if the ruckus they were making was anything to go by. Still, it didn't mean that they would be easy to take down.

Unless this was a trap.

Sasuke panicked for a brief moment. What if _They_ had already had his location and had sent these two in to lure him out? What if this was some sort of trick?

"And I'll have _you_ know that if anyone else was here, we'd be dead right now. I mean, even that dog that hangs around with Kiba is more graceful than you."

"Hey! Well at least… At least I'm a natural blonde!"

"_What?_ How dare — I am _so_ a natural blonde!"

"Prove it then!"

_Silence._

"… Naruto, you're disgusting. You know that, right? I can't see how Sakura puts up with you."

Sasuke looked around him and found a foot-long steel rod, one end sharp and jagged. It was thick and looked heavy, but the few hours' worth of sleep he got was a lot more than he usually had back at the prison.

He picked it up. He could barely hold it upright, but it would have to do.

"It helps when you have looks as handsome and dashing as mine. Maybe you should take a leaf out of her book and get with the — _Holy shit!_"

Sasuke had run out from behind the crate with the rod, and had pointed it to the neck of the closest person to him which, in this case, was this 'Naruto' boy, whose body instantly became rigid.

"The _hell _do you think you're doing?" he all but screamed in outrage.

"Who sent you here?" Sasuke demanded. He had to get this over with quick; with every second, the pole felt heavier and heavier.

"Whoa, whoa, there," the other person — a girl — said. "We — we don't mean you any harm. We were just sent here to look around, you know?"

"Who are you?" he said, refusing to give in to his aching arms.

"Look, we're not here to hurt you. Put that thing down. Please."

Sasuke turned his head to the left, at the girl. She was blonde, as he had guessed from her and the boy's earlier conversation. But her eyes. They were a bright blue, and as Sasuke squinted and got a better look at them, he almost dropped the rod.

She had no pupils.

After the initial shock, Sasuke's grip on the bar tightened. This meant that she must have had some kind of contact with the Akatsuki and that she had been in the Detainment Unit at least once.

But it didn't make any sense.

If the Akatsuki had planned to trick Sasuke out of his hiding place, They would have chosen normal-looking people, not people that Sasuke could have easily linked to Them. They weren't stupid.

They wouldn't have gotten to where they were now if they were fools.

So against his better judgement, he lowered the bar.

The boy gave a loud sigh of relief and the girl just rubbed her temples with her index and middle fingers.

"Hey, thanks man," the boy said to Sasuke, swinging an arm around his shoulders.

"Don't. Touch. Me," Sasuke snarled and shoved him away in the direction of the girl.

"Okay, okay," the girl said, grabbing the boy's arm before he aimed a punch at Sasuke. "Now we're all best buddies and stuff, mind telling us who you are?"

"Yes."

"What?" She looked confused.

"Yes, I do mind." It felt odd, Sasuke thought, having to speak again. His vocal chords were strained due to their lack of use, and his mouth parched from the lack of water.

The boy grumbled a "Bastard" and was quickly shushed by the girl.

"You were a prisoner, weren't you?" she asked after a pause.

Sasuke glanced up at her. "Yeah," he said, and even though he already knew the answer, he added a "you?"

"Yeah," she replied.

The boy mumbled something under his breath to the girl that Sasuke couldn't hear — he wasn't used to having to strain his ears either; the guards usually shouted — and she nodded.

"I think we can trust you," she said, smiling slightly.

Sasuke snorted. "And what makes you think I can trust you?"

"You didn't kill me, did you?" the boy reasoned. "Doesn't that prove that you trust us?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Sasuke sneered. "Your life was spared merely on a whim."

"Look," the girl interrupted. "I'm assuming that you somehow miraculously managed to escape the Akatsuki, and that They're out looking for you. I'm also assuming that you have nowhere to go now, and are currently seeking shelter, food and probably serious first-aid, looking at your wounds. Am I right?"

Grudgingly, Sasuke nodded.

"That settles it then. You're following us."

"Where to?" Sasuke couldn't help but feel slightly intrigued. After all, he had only seen the inside of the Cell and the Chamber for the past ten years.

"Konoha," the boy said, and he promptly turned his back and began walking out of the warehouse, the girl beckoning him to come, before following him herself.

* * *

"You know, I still don't think we can trust him."

"Me neither, but Tsunade-sama would _slaughter_ us if she found out we came across another person and left him there without taking him back to Headquarters first."

Sasuke trailed behind the two blondes, not paying attention to their conversation. It was nearly nightfall now — _had a day already passed since he had won back his freedom?_ — and he hoped that they reached this Konoha place before dark.

"I never got your names," Sasuke called out to the two people ahead of him.

The boy snorted. "It's impolite to ask for other people's names without offering yours first."

Sasuke scowled.

The girl ignored her comrade.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino," the girl — Ino — said, glancing at him briefly before looking back to the front. "And he," she said, jerking a thumb in the boy's direction, "is Uzumaki Naruto."

"You didn't have to tell him," Naruto grumbled.

"Whatever. I'm tired. Let's just get back to base before we're caught out past Curfew."

"How much longer do we have to go?" Sasuke asked.

They stopped at a dead end of an alley.

"Here," Naruto said, pushing four of the bricks in different places and motioning Sasuke to follow him and Ino as they stepped through the brick wall.

Sasuke's eyes widened briefly. A hologram.

* * *

"Welcome to Konoha," a woman — _probably their leader_, Sasuke assumed — said.

A crowd of people had gathered around Naruto, Ino and himself to welcome them as soon as they had stepped through the wall, the woman at the front leading them.

"I see Naruto and Ino have brought home a stray kitty," she smirked.

Sasuke scowled at being referred to as such.

"Well? Aren't you going to introduce yourself? It's only polite, you see, as you're on our territory now."

Naruto chuckled and nudged Sasuke lightly. "Don't worry," he laughed. "Tsunade-baa-chan barks more than she bites."

Sasuke sighed. There was no getting around this now.

He just hoped they would give him a chance to explain this later.

But he was proven wrong when, a split second after he said his name—

"_Uchiha Sasuke_."

—he found three dozen guns aimed at his head, ready to be fired.

* * *

**A/N:**

... Maybe I should stop starting random AUs, but it's an addiction.

Well, this is the start of a very long, long-winded AU, kiddies. This is my first original-plotted AU fic (_Monochromatic_ does _not_ count; I'm just going with the flow on that) so any constructive criticism is very very welcome and appreciated. Bear in mind that I only just started properly writing fanfics about a month ago and that I'm still not completely comfortable with writing in English, so I need all the help I can get. That, and I want to have your babies. ;D

This story, unlike _Smear It Splendid_ and _The Taking_, will not be fast-paced and focus so much on the plot. Again, this is another experimentation, and it'll centre around the characters more and how they react to events in the plot. So some chapters may be long and winding, and you can expect this fic to contain many chapters and for updates to be slow, as I really want to think this one through properly.

... You know, I don't get why so many people hate Ino. D; I personally adore her and her friendship with Sakura.

Oh, and people who PMed me, my e-mail is on the fritz, so hold on for a day or two please:3

Why yes, I _do_ like to write very long notes that no one will read.

_Lessthanthree._


	2. Chapter 2:: Introductions

**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Pairing:** Eventual SasuSaku.  
**Summary:** AU. SasuSaku. In a world where those caught out after Curfew are slaughtered, where Communism, fear and death are ways of life, and where the Akatsuki might as well be gods, Uchiha Sasuke discovers a group of people who still know what freedom means.  
**Disclaimer:** Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. Plot © me. The italised lyrics beneath the chapter title © The Last Firstborn — Celldweller.

* * *

**Chapter Two:** Introductions  
_And to this day I've still gotta say that in my mind I question it  
_

"Naruto! Ino! You bumbling _idiots_! Didn't you at least check to see who he was before bringing him back here?" Tsunade fumed, not taking her eyes or her aim off Sasuke.

"Hey! The bastard wouldn't give it to us!" Naruto said, his gun digging into Sasuke's back uncomfortably.

Ino's gun was right next to his head. "We were careless, Tsunade-sama. I — He had a chance to kill Naruto, but he didn't. We took it as a sign he could be trusted."

Tsunade snorted derisively. "Well, considering who his brother is—"

"Don't you dare associate me with him!" Sasuke burst out, not caring that those surrounding him could kill him within a second.

"And why not? Aren't you working under him?" Tsunade demanded.

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

"I escaped from them," Sasuke said, regaining his composure.

A man to Tsunade's left sneered. "If you're going to lie kid, at least do it properly. Uchiha Itachi may be scum of the earth, but even he wouldn't try to experiment on his own brother."

Sasuke felt the strongest urge to snap that man's neck in half, but the crowd around him was proving to be a bit of a bother. Reluctantly, he bowed his head, strands of hair falling in his face. He closed his eyes.

It couldn't have been helped.

He snapped his eyes open and looked back up, right in the man's face.

There was a collective gasp, as Sasuke stared at each of them in turn coldly.

"… Put your guns down, everyone," Tsunade said shakily.

"But Tsunade-sama—"

"I said, _put your guns down_!"

Uchiha Sasuke's eyes were blood red.

* * *

"You could have just told us," Tsunade grumbled.

Sasuke scoffed. "I tried, remember?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"Well, I suppose I owe you an apology," she offered grudgingly. "So, sorry. You're injured. Naruto, Ino — take him to the medical ward and have Sakura patch him up."

"But _baa-chan_, don't you owe some other people an apology too?" Naruto hinted slyly, sidling up to Tsunade and elbowing her whilst waggling his eyebrows.

"… Take him. To the. Medical ward. _Now_."

Ino came to the rescue. She grasped Naruto's arm and flashed a bright grin at Tsunade. "Right away, Tsunade-sama!" she trilled, tugging his arm towards her.

"Kiss-up," Naruto muttered, as he was dragged off by Ino, Sasuke trailing behind them.

It was weird, Sasuke thought, being around other people again. Watching Naruto and Ino's banter was oddly fascinating, and brought back a sense of nostalgia of days before—

_his brother turned out to be a traitorous weasel (oh! The _irony_), his family was dead, he was a walking freak-show_

—the Takeover.

They reached the medical ward, a small, clean, cramped room, nothing at all like the big, sterile, white one in the Detainment Unit, but it was less intimidating, he had to admit.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out as he opened the door. "Ino and I have another stray for you to patch up!"

Clearly he hadn't forgotten about the metal bar incident.

"Come in!" Sasuke heard a feminine voice beckon.

They entered, and Sasuke was momentarily puzzled as he saw a girl of about their age rush towards and greet Naruto and Ino. She looked him up and down and wordlessly took his hand and led him towards an examination table and motioned for him to sit down.

She was too skinny, was Sasuke's first thought, but it wasn't as if all of them could afford to eat good food. Sasuke knew he probably wasn't much heavier than her. But what perplexed him the most was her hair colour.

It was _pink_.

Such an… abnormal colour, but then again, what _was _normal now? Maybe years and years ago, the four of them standing in that room would have been considered monsters — freaks of nature — but this wasn't years and years ago.

And if Sasuke's imprisonment had taught him one thing, it was that normalcy was decided by the majority, not one person's opinion.

* * *

"Well, it should heal completely in a few weeks, provided you don't do anything dangerous. Or stupid. Which means no hanging out with Naruto," Sakura said, handing Sasuke a glass of water.

Sasuke scoffed before accepting and drinking it. As if he would spend any more time than necessary around that dumbass.

Sakura stared at him.

It was getting quite disturbing, and Sasuke raised his eyebrows, still drinking.

She looked contemplative. "You know, once you get a new set of clothes and have a shower, I'd think you'd be really pretty."

Sasuke choked on his water. Sakura laughed.

"Come on," she said once her giggles had ceased. "We have to go see Tsunade-shishou now to see what she wants to do with you."

Naruto and Ino had left earlier, and the medical ward was empty, save for him and Sakura. Sasuke set his glass down and got up, pausing to wait for Sakura as she took her white coat off.

They made their way past various corridors, Sakura chatting animatedly. Sasuke honestly found her slightly annoying, but didn't say anything and nodded every once in a while. At least she hadn't tried to shoot him.

Sasuke and Sakura halted in front of the doors of a room. Naruto, Ino and a few other people were there, and Naruto was arguing with another boy.

"Oh God," Sakura groaned. "Not again."

When Sasuke looked at her questioningly, she elaborated, "That's Hyuuga Neji. The boy Naruto's yelling at. They always do this. It's nothing much, but it just gets annoying after a while."

Sasuke turned to look back at the two boys. It didn't look like nothing much.

"Bringing in a complete stranger — what more, Uchiha Itachi's _brother_ — you could have gotten us all killed," Neji spat venomously.

"But I didn't, did I? Besides, that guy was good enough to escape the Akatsuki, maybe he would know how to—"

"What makes you think he'd help us? Maybe he's just one of their spies, another one of their freak experimentations that they managed to manipulate. And even if he isn't, he's probably too cowardly to even set foot back at that place," Neji shot back.

"Now that's going too far," Sakura muttered, frowning.

She made a move towards Naruto and Neji to announce her and Sasuke's presence, but was stopped by a hand grasping her elbow.

"It's worth a shot isn't it?" Naruto argued. "Why won't you at least try? Don't you even _want_ to get her back?"

"She's my cousin, and the only family I have left. You don't even know how much I want to get her out of there, you dead-last prick," Neji retaliated, fuming. "What would you know about your own blood being held imprisoned there, while you at least have your freedom? You never even had a family to begin with. I don't even see why you care so much; Hinata meant nothing to you–"

"Shut up!" Naruto roared.

An awkward pause settled onto the scene. From beside him, Sasuke heard Sakura gasp.

"Just – shut _up_," Naruto said furiously. "Don't you — don't you _dare_ say that to my face again. Don't you dare even _think_ it."

Neji stared back at him coldly and unafraid, giving no reply.

"I loved her," Naruto continued. "I still do. I _love_ her. I want her back as much — if not more than — you do. You think that I don't care about what They're doing to her? I have nightmares every night about her, and it's all I can do not to run out of here to that place to save her."

Neji scoffed. "Like you could face Them on your own," he said scornfully, but his lavender eyes — _pupil-less as well_, Sasuke noted, _just like hers_ — had lost most of their anger.

"Then _help_ me, god dammit. At least try. We're the only ones that can decide our own fate, Neji."

Neji didn't reply.

"I'm going to bring Hinata-chan back home," Naruto said, "and I don't need your help to accomplish that mission. But I just thought that you would have cared enough about her to at least take a few risks to get her back."

"There's a difference between taking a risk and stupidly walking straight into the dragon's den unprepared," Neji reasoned quietly.

"I know. But come _on_, this is the Akatsuki!" Here, Naruto let out a bark of laughter. "Either way, we're not safe. Everyone here knows that They're going to kill us all one day, anyway."

His smile faltered.

"I'd walk to every corner of the world for Hinata-chan, and I'd gladly die an early death for her if need be. What about you?"

Neji opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Sakura's cough.

Heads whipped back to stare at her and Sasuke.

Neji scowled once he caught sight of Sasuke.

"Hi!" Sakura said brightly, making sure to block Sasuke from Neji as much as she could.

"You didn't overhear what we were talking about, did you?" Naruto asked nervously. It wasn't as if he was afraid of what Sasuke would think. It was just that Sakura-chan was _really_ fussy about manners in general, and she had such _monstrous_ strength.

"It was hard not to," she replied, deadpanned.

"Troublesome," Sasuke heard a boy mutter.

"I frankly don't care if you two heard or not," Neji said, crossing his arms. "I want him out of here. God knows whether he's one of them or not, and if he manages to get out back to his dear _nii-san_, we're all done for."

A few of them tensed, remembering what happened earlier when they had mentioned Uchiha Itachi in front of his younger brother.

Sasuke appeared perfectly unaffected.

"I don't need your opinion," he said calmly.

Neji narrowed his eyes.

"Look, I don't give a damn who your brother is—"

"Hinata, was it?" Sasuke said. "I figured you were talking about her when Sakura told me your surname, but when you said her given name, it confirmed it."

Eyes were all on him now.

"What do you mean?" Neji asked sharply.

"Wait; don't tell me that you — you knew Hinata?" Ino asked, her blue eyes widening, not daring to believe it.

"She occupied the cell next to mine."


	3. Chapter 3:: Coping

**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Pairing:** Various. Whatever I feel like.  
**Summary:** AU. SasuSaku. In a world where those caught out after Curfew are slaughtered, where Communism, fear and death are ways of life, and where the Akatsuki might as well be gods, Uchiha Sasuke discovers a group of people who still know what freedom means.  
**Disclaimer:** Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. Plot © me. The italised lyrics beneath the chapter title © The Last Firstborn — Celldweller.

* * *

**Chapter Three:** Coping  
_'Cause I'm not sure when knocking at Death's door if I will be welcome in or be left alone outside_

Before Sasuke could even blink, Naruto was in his face, grabbing two fistfuls of his (dirty, ragged) clothes.

"How is she? She's alright, isn't she? Does she still look the same? What have they done to her—?"

"Naruto! Shut up," barked Tsunade, who had just appeared through the door in time to hear Sasuke's last sentence. "All of you in here. _Now_."

A few people mumbled indistinctly and followed Tsunade into the room.

"Well," Tsunade began, once everyone had sat down in one of the numerous chairs in the room, "let's get started. I, as well as some of the elders, have evaluated Uchiha Sasuke's case."

The room was silent, waiting to hear her verdict.

Tsunade looked at Sasuke.

"Welcome to the fold."

Sasuke sighed in relief, as a few people — namely Neji — swore quietly and proceeded to grumble. Ino, Naruto and Sakura however, had beamed and cheered, Naruto clapping him on the back.

"The organisation is called Konoha. Most of us had at least one encounter with the Akatsuki, and those who have had been affected by it. We survived though, as you can see," and here, Tsunade gestured to the people in the room, as if to prove her point, "but not without consequences. This is our safe haven, and one day—"

"We're gonna bring down those Akatsuki bastards," Naruto growled, earning some murmurs of agreement from the whole audience.

Tsunade ignored Naruto, and moved on. "Since I'm sure all of your heads are still spinning, and the focus is still on you, Sasuke, you go first. Tell us what you know about Hyuuga Hinata."

For the third time that day, all eyes were on Sasuke. He just shrugged.

"What was there to know? Her cell was just next to mine."

"But surely you must know something about her," Ino persisted.

Sasuke didn't.

"The guards don't let inmates socialise with each other," a boy drawled in one corner, clasping his hands together and resting his head on them. "All he probably heard is her screams every time someone tortured her."

"Shikamaru!" said Sakura, looking horrified.

"She's fine," Naruto declared to the rest of the room. Then, a little more uncertain, he added, "She has to be."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and the two locked eyes for a moment. There was so much passion, so much certainty, so much faith and hope in those blue orbs.

_People like Naruto shouldn't exist_, thought Sasuke. _They don't belong in this world._

If Sasuke had any sympathy left in him, he would have felt sorry for the poor bastard.

"So let's begin planning how we're going to get her out of—"

"She's dead."

* * *

"Well… I guess we didn't need to have a meeting after all," said Sakura nervously.

She had been assigned to show Sasuke the way to his new quarters, and the two had been walking in silence, for the most part.

"No, we didn't," agreed Sasuke.

"But then Tsunade needed to take your fingerprints and stuff, so I guess it wasn't completing pointless. I mean, it would be pointless if you weren't involved in it, and an hour of your life would have been wasted, but obviously, we had to be there, so… it wasn't wasted." Now she was just babbling.

Sasuke absently nodded his head, thinking.

"So, at least now, you're one of us. I mean, you'll get dirty looks in the cafeteria and stuff, but Naruto got those too when he first joined. They're okay with him now, but you know, there are still a few who—"

"Why?" Sasuke heard himself blurt out, unable to contain his curiousity.

Sakura stopped talking.

"Why… Why are you — all of you — doing this?"

She smiled kindly.

"Because Sasuke-kun — can I call you Sasuke-kun? — you're a victim just like we are. You're one of us."

Sasuke shook his head.

"No, not that. I mean, this," he gestured around him, "all of this. Why? Why are you working so hard, when you all know you're going to die anyway? How can you just — live when the whole world's just completely desecrated like this? How can you still have hope?"

Sakura fell silent and didn't reply, her eyes glazing over. She didn't chastise Sasuke for asking that question, nor did she deem to answer it.

They continued walking past numerous rooms in silence.

* * *

"She's… dead," someone said.

"She isn't," said Naruto defiantly. "She's _not_ dead, Kiba, don't say things like that."

"She is," said Neji sombrely.

"Shut up, Neji — I said Hinata-chan isn't dead!" shouted Naruto, refusing to believe either of them.

"Uchiha Sasuke says he heard her being dragged from her cell last month, and she never came back."

"That doesn't mean she's dead, Shino!"

"It does when he said he heard her in the torture chamber, being interrogated about our whereabouts, screaming and then abruptly stopping," Shino countered quietly.

"Maybe she just—"

"Sasuke says they found a new occupant for her cell the next day," said Kiba wearily. "Just — just accept it, Naruto-baka."

Naruto hung his head, his hands curling up into fists.

"No," he said. "I — _can't_. I won't. She's still out there. I can feel it."

Neji stared at Naruto.

"I wish I could believe you. But Fate isn't that kind," Neji said, "and neither are the Akatsuki."

Kiba clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder reassuringly and closed his eyes.

"Don't worry, man. When the chance comes to us, we'll go kill those fucking sons of a bitches," he swore.

Naruto could only mutely agree.

* * *

"I spoke to Uchiha Sasuke at the meeting just now," Tsunade said, talking to a woman with long, dark hair.

"Oh?"

"Yes. It was… informative. Apparently his cell was next to Hinata's."

"Hinata? You mean he saw her? Is she okay?" The woman perked up and was looking anxiously at Tsunade.

Tsunade bowed her head.

"I'm sorry, Kurenai. She's dead."

Kurenai's shoulders slumped.

"Oh. Oh. Well, I suppose she never had much of a chance once They found her. Especially when They discovered her relation to Konoha," she said, her voice breaking. "Maybe — it's kinder this way. God knows what They must have done to her."

She abruptly stopped talking, tears freely flowing down her cheeks.

Tsunade could only look at her sadly.

"I'm sorry, Kurenai," Tsunade repeated. "I know it must be harder on you than anyone else. You knew her the best, her being your student and all."

Kurenai wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"How are Kiba and Shino coping?" she asked, referring to her other students.

"Better than expected," Tsunade told her. "So is Neji. Naruto however…"

"Of course, of course," said Kurenai, nodding her head. "Well, I should — I should go to them, just to make sure they're alright. I'll see you around, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade nodded and watched Kurenai's retreating back.

"How did she take it?"

Tsunade almost had a heart attack.

"Jiraiya! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"She didn't take it too well, did she." It wasn't a question anymore.

Tsunade didn't reply.

"Hime."

"No, she didn't," Tsunade said.

The white-haired man nodded understandably.

"Didn't expect her to. After all, it's hard to see your student die before you do. It feels wrong," he said, watching Kurenai's figure disappear around a corner.

Tsunade looked at him.

"Jiraiya, I'm—"

"Over it. Don't worry, hime," he assured, "it happened a long time ago."

"Minato shouldn't have had to die, though."

Jiraiya shook his head.

"No one should have to die. But they do."

* * *

Sakura stopped walking.

"Well," she said. "Here's where you'll be staying from now on."

She handed him a key.

"All the rooms in Konoha are quite small, you know, to fit everyone in. But you don't have to share your room with anyone, so that's good. And it's probably a lot more comfortable than your cell was, eh?" said Sakura, chuckling weakly.

Sasuke took the key.

"Yeah. It probably is. Thank you."

He shoved the key into the keyhole and turned it until he heard a click. He opened the door and was about to go in when he was stopped by Sakura's voice.

"We live because that's all we know how to do."

Sasuke turned his head and looked at her. She met his gaze, her face serious.

"But surely it is easier to just die?"

"It is," she agreed, "but what about those who the Akatsuki find 'interesting'? We were thrown away after experimentation because we could serve no use after that, but what about the people who They find useful?"

Sasuke didn't have a reply to that.

"We fight for them. Because no one deserves to go through all of that."

"So you'll risk your life for strangers who might never return the favour?"

"Yes."

"Why? That's how people die."

"We're all going to die anyway, Sasuke-kun. But this way, at least we would have had an impact on someone's life."

"I don't understand."

Sakura paused, as if she were selecting her words carefully.

"We do this because… because even if it means that we're going to die, it's the _right thing to do_."

She looked down at her feet.

Sasuke, not taking his eyes off of her, said, "I see. Goodnight, Sakura."

He entered his room and closed the door, looking forward to what he knew would be the most peaceful night's rest that he would have had in a long, long time.

* * *

"Have you located him yet?"

The man bowed before his superior.

"No, Kisame-dono."

Kisame swore under his breath.

"Itachi's gonna freak out."

"Kisame-dono?"

"Have you checked the entire perimeter? He was highly incapacitated; he couldn't have gotten very far."

"Yes, Kisame-done, but—"

"You didn't find a corpse?"

"No, Kisame-dono."

"Fuckin' hell. Itachi's gonna have a field day."

"But Kisame-dono—"

"What is it, you little dipshit?" Kisame snapped. "You know I should hack your head off for your complete and utter incompetence. I mean, that boy's not particularly bright; the only way he could have escaped was because your men were _sleeping on the job_. So what is it? It better be good."

The man flinched.

"U—Um. I was on my way here and I passed one of the men from Zetsu-dono's unit. He says that he saw Uchiha Sasuke being led away by two people, one male and one female, p–probably in their late teens, in the W–West District," the man stuttered.

"West District," repeated Kisame absentmindedly. "West… District. Okay."

Then he suddenly snapped back to attention.

"West District?! Flying fucks, was he headed to Otogakure?"

"They're not sure Kisame-dono, but the people he was with didn't look like any of Orochimaru's subordinates."

"So what do they think?"

The man attempted to bury his head beneath the concrete floor before replying.

"They think the two children were from Konoha."

Kisame stared at him disbelievingly.

"Fuck. Itachi's gonna _kill_ me."

* * *

**A/N:**

I'm currently addicted to writing this. It's just so much fun.

And I love you, Shino. SHINO.

Um. Reviews, please? They make meh happeh.

_Lessthanthree._

**PS:** HAR. THAT WAS AN EPIC-LY SHORT A/N FOR ME. WELL, NOW IT ISN'T BUT STFUBITCH.


	4. Chapter 4:: Guilt

**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Pairing:** Various. Whatever I feel like.  
**Summary:** AU. SasuSaku. In a world where those caught out after Curfew are slaughtered, where Communism, fear and death are ways of life, and where the Akatsuki might as well be gods, Uchiha Sasuke discovers a group of people who still know what freedom means.  
**Disclaimer:** Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. Plot © me. The italised lyrics beneath the chapter title © The Last Firstborn — Celldweller.

* * *

**Chapter Four:** Guilt  
_Like a kid playing with a razorblade_

"Kisame-dono! Kisame-dono!"

Kisame lazily swirled around in his chair, and lowered the newspaper that featured, who else but, himself.

"What?" he drawled.

The messenger, _clearly a rookie_, Kisame thought, bowed enthusiastically and whipped out a scroll from his bag and unrolled it.

"Itachi-dono has returned from his travels, Kisame-dono! He is requesting an immediate audience with you in the South Wing, Kisame-dono!" he read aloud to Kisame, unable to contain his excitement.

Kisame stared at him.

"_Wut?_" he asked eloquently.

The messenger repeated what was in the contents of his scroll.

Kisame swore and ripped his newspapers into shreds.

"He's not supposed to be back until next month!" hissed Kisame.

The messenger nodded so vigorously that Kisame thought his head would fall off.

"There has been a change of schedule, Kisame-dono. Itachi-dono had finished his business a lot earlier than he expected to."

"That stupid genius—brat," mumbled Kisame. "So why does he want to come back so early? Is the weather there like, horrible or something?"

The messenger shook his head before saying, "Itachi-dono says that he just felt like coming back early and would like to visit his brother."

Whatever colour Kisame had drained from his face.

"Oh fuck. I'm gonna die."

* * *

"Good _morning_, sunshine!"

The lights flickered on and Sasuke groaned.

"Time to get up, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura sang.

Sasuke twitched slightly, but made no move to get out of his (lovely, snuggly) bed that was hundreds of times more comfortable than the (cold, hard) floor in his old cell.

Sakura put a hand on her hip and began to tap her foot.

"C'mon, sweetie, wake up. It's morning," she tried once more.

Sasuke didn't respond.

Sakura pursed her lips.

"I said, wake _up_!" she screamed, running over to Sasuke's bed, intending to rip the covers off of him.

Sasuke, unwilling to get up just yet, grabbed the covers at the last second, preventing Sakura from wrenching it off of him.

_Tch, annoying woman._

Sakura rubbed her temples and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun, but I did try," she said sadly. "You really need to get up now, so if you won't get out of bed willingly, then I'll have to call Naruto—"

The door burst open.

"Did I hear someone say my name?" Naruto asked in a loud, obnoxious voice, looking left and right.

He paused when he spotted the sleeping lump that was Sasuke under the covers on the bed.

Naruto grinned evilly.

"DATTEBAYOOOO!" he shouted with glee, running over to the bed and leaping onto it, effectively crushing Sasuke.

Sasuke only made a strangled noise, momentarily panicking after hearing a few of his rib bones crack.

* * *

After Sasuke had showered and dressed, he made his way down to the cafeteria with Naruto and Sakura, where he had his first hot meal since he was eight. Initially his throat and stomach, unused to the warm temperature, had burned, but after a while it had calmed down, allowing Sasuke to peacefully enjoy his breakfast.

Naruto, on the other hand, had practically scoffed down his meal, stood up and choked out a, "Hey, I've got to go somewhere. Meet up with you guys later," without swallowing any of his food and ran out of the cafeteria, all in the time span of ten minutes.

Sakura watched his retreating back sadly, and when he was gone, she put down her spoon and sighed.

"He's still all beat up about Hinata," she explained, noticing Sasuke's inquisitive expression.

Sasuke made a disbelieving sound.

"He didn't sound 'beat up' about it this morning," he said bitterly, stabbing at a piece of meat on his plate at the memory.

Sakura smiled, but it didn't manage to reach her eyes.

"Naruto's a bit bipolar like that. I don't know whether you caught onto it yet, but he really loved her. And he's blaming himself for her death."

"Why?" Sasuke heard himself ask.

"Well," Sakura began, hesitantly looking around to see whether anybody was eavesdropping on them, "the Akatsuki have been targeting Naruto for about three years. No one really knows why, but They just have been. They've come so close to catching him at times that Naruto can only do half the number of patrols a normal recruit does, and he can only be paired with an experienced member, you know, someone who's been in the organisation for about five years and has proven his or herself competent enough."

Sakura looked down at her bowl of cereal.

"About a year ago, Naruto was paired with Hinata to do rounds in the South District," Sakura continued quietly. "They just came so suddenly. There were explosions and crashes everywhere, and Naruto and Hinata didn't have enough time to react. Thank God there were two members patrolling nearby. They quickly rushed to the scene, and got Naruto out before it was too late."

Sakura stopped talking and picked up her spoon, using it to push around the cereal in her bowl.

"But they were too late to save Hinata," Sasuke finished.

"Yeah," said Sakura sombrely, using her free hand to tug a few strands of her short, pink hair. "Naruto's always believed that if he had been more alert, the whole situation would have been avoidable."

Sasuke didn't have any reply to that.

"It also created a sort of rift between him and Neji," Sakura said, pausing to shove more cereal into her mouth. "They used to be quite good friends, you know," she continued, after she had swallowed her food. "But that changed when Hinata was abducted. Neji said that it wouldn't have happened had Hinata not been paired with Naruto. Which is unfair, but you can't really blame Neji for thinking like that, because it is true, I suppose. I mean, Hinata was his only family left in the world and Naruto is the Akatsuki's main target at the moment. If it had been anyone else with Hinata, the incident wouldn't have happened. But Naruto couldn't control it, so it's not his fault. Neji doesn't see it like that, though. But it's only natural that he feels upset about her being taken. We all were," and here, Sakura's voice lowered to a whisper, "I mean, she was a lovely girl. And she didn't deserve what happened to her."

Sasuke paused, lowering his fork as he remembered Hinata's screams as she was held in the Torture Chamber, being put through horrors even he dared not even think of whilst they tried to get information out of her. He remembered hearing her sobs in her cell next to his after every session with Them when she refused to break.

"No," he said. "No one deserves it."

He stared at his almost empty plate for a few moments. Sakura, noticing this, stood up, her chair scraping against the tiled floor as it moved backwards.

Sasuke looked up at her.

"You finished eating yet, Sasuke-kun? Come, I want to show you something."

* * *

"What do you mean, someone's stolen our documents?" Tsunade demanded.

"It's just that, Tsunade-sama," said Shizune, cringing at the blonde's loud, angry tone.

"Well, who stole it?"

"We… don't know, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade blinked and then narrowed her eyes.

"You mean someone managed to sneak in here, past all of our surveillance and security, past all these people, and stole some vital plan documents from right under our noses? That's impossible, Shizune."

"But Tsunade-sama—"

"What was stolen?" Tsunade asked, already having turned her back to Shizune.

"Um, well, whoever came in managed to steal our blueprint of the Akatsuki Detainment Unit. Since that's only a copy, and is probably not very accurate anyway, no one was that worried."

Shizune stopped talking, and fidgeted, scared of continuing.

Tsunade turned around and looked at her.

"What else?"

Shizune closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying, "Well, numerous things. Mission details, information on the area around us. But there was one thing that stood out from the documents stolen. Someone's stolen the profile we took of Uchiha Sasuke."

Tsunade stared, and said, "Why would anyone want that?"

"I don't know, Tsunade-sama," said Shizune, relieved that Tsunade had taken the news relatively calmly. "Maybe it was the Akatsuki?"

Tsunade scratched her chin, thinking over that possibility.

"I doubt it," she said after a minute. "If They had actually found our Headquarters, They would have attacked us and killed us all already. Coming in to steal a file about an escapee, albeit one that is related to one of Their members, is pointless. They might as well have taken him back while They were in here, in which case someone would have seen it and notified us."

Shizune flipped through the file in her hands.

"But Tsunade-sama," she said, looking up again, "the Technological Department say they've seen no sign of a break-in, or any one trespassing in any of the surveillance cameras. No one could have gotten past our security undetected except for the Akatsuki, so it must be Them."

There was another pause.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Tsunade said quietly. "Why would They steal a file off someone who They already had a file of? It doesn't add up."

"No one else could have broken in without someone noticing," Shizune said.

Tsunade nodded her head.

"No, no one could have," she agreed. "But then, that would mean…"

Tsunade stopped halfway through her sentence and walked over to the window, pulling back the curtains slightly to let some light in. She leaned her forehead against the cool glass and sighed, closing her eyes. She stayed that way for a few minutes.

Shizune didn't move, tentatively standing in the same spot and watching her superior.

Tsunade opened her eyes and looked out at her surroundings, before turning away from the window and focusing her attention back on Shizune.

"Shizune," Tsunade said gravely, any hint of confusion or defeat gone from her face. "Arrange multiple meetings with all of our recruits, one after the other, according to what department they're in. Start with the guys down at Tech, working your way up in the building. Leave the battle divisions until last."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Shizune said, snapping the folder in her hands close. "But, if you don't mind my asking, why?"

Tsunade had already turned back to the window, and didn't look at Shizune as she said her next words:

"Because there's a traitor among us."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked, as he was dragged by Sakura past numerous doors and through numerous corridors. His arm was beginning to ache from her strong grasp.

"It's not much further, don't worry," she assured him, taking a left turn and climbing up some stairs.

There was a door waiting for them on top of those stairs, and Sakura opened it once they had climbed up. It led to a large, open area.

"This is the rooftop," Sakura explained. "Technically, we're not supposed to be here. You know, in case They swoop down from above and snatch us away. But They haven't found us yet, and I doubt us going up for some fresh air makes much of a difference. Besides, we've got fencing all around us, so we're all right," she said, gesturing to the wired fences that bordered the porch.

She continued to walk to the end of the rooftop, reaching out a hand to grab onto the fencing. Sasuke noticed that her other hand was still holding his.

He was too busy noticing this that he didn't notice anything else around him for a while.

"Look, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said in a gentle voice, gazing into the distance, the gentle breeze ruffling her pink tresses. She took her hand off the wired fence and raised it, pointing upwards to the endless sky.

Sasuke looked up.

"Look, Sasuke-kun," Sakura repeated, smiling softly. "It's dawn."

* * *

**A/N:**

I honestly don't know where on earth I'm going with this.

BUT OH WELL.

I want to hug Kisame. I like fish.

I also like Shino, and wanted to slot him in multiple times, but... I couldn't, because it didn't make sense, and I wouldn't want to make Shino seem worthless or something

-_does hand-flippy thing_- Pshaw. Shino's NEVER useless. He is Win.

_Lessthanthree._


	5. Chapter 5:: Treachery

**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Pairing:** Various. Whatever I feel like.  
**Summary:** AU. SasuSaku. In a world where those caught out after Curfew are slaughtered, where Communism, fear and death are ways of life, and where the Akatsuki might as well be gods, Uchiha Sasuke discovers a group of people who still know what freedom means.  
**Disclaimer:** Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. Plot © me. The italised lyrics beneath the chapter title © The Last Firstborn — Celldweller.

* * *

**Chapter Five:** Treachery  
_Now I wait to take my turn to bleed_

"Be quiet!" Tsunade barked.

The room suddenly fell silent.

"Good. Now I suppose that most of you who have friends in the other departments are aware of why I have called you here now."

Sasuke, who was sitting in between Naruto and Sakura, looked around.

Naruto had said that all those who had gathered in the room were in Konoha's fighting division, and that the recruits were known as _shinobi_. Sasuke remembered a few of the faces that he had seen when they had that briefing on rescuing Hinata, and he knew back then that that number wasn't all of Konoha's forces. For one thing, the people in the meeting then were all teenagers. However, he was surprised at the small number of members there actually were. Sakura said that about ten recruits were off on missions, but that still meant that Konoha only had forty shinobi in its fighting division to balance out all three hundred members. When he had commented on that, Sakura merely shrugged and said, "Well, not everyone's cut out for fighting, Sasuke-kun. We can't just blindly send people to their graves."

Tsunade crossed her arms, and prepared for the room's reaction. They were an emotional lot, her warriors.

"For those of you who don't, I'll tell you now: We have a traitor in our midst."

No one said anything for a few seconds.

Then there was uproar.

* * *

"Itachi! Hey, how's it going?"

Itachi stared at Kisame through half-lidded eyes.

"How was your trip to—"

"Kisame," Itachi interrupted, "where's Sasuke?"

Kisame froze, and wracked his brain trying to think of something.

"Um. Sasuke? Right, Sasuke. Eh, wait a minute — who's Sasuke?"

Itachi's expression didn't change.

"My brother, Sasuke."

If Kisame played his cards right, he figured that he could maybe escape unscathed by claiming he had damaged his brain. Or that maybe Itachi would forget he had a brother. Which was unlikely, but he wouldn't know until he tried.

"Whoa Itachi, why didn't you ever tell me you had a brother?"

"Kisame, if you don't tell me where my brother is now, I will kill you."

Kisame flinched.

"Well, you see Itachi…" he trailed off.

Itachi didn't see.

"Has he been moved to another Unit centre?" Itachi inquired.

"Um, no…"

"Has he been injured badly?"

"No."

"So he isn't in the Medical Ward?"

"No, he isn't."

Itachi paused for a long time before asking, "Is he dead?"

"No! No, of course he isn't!" Kisame exclaimed, waving his arms about. "Well, I hope not," he added as an afterthought.

"Excuse me-?"

"Okay, okay. He managed to escape," Kisame confessed. "I don't know how he did it — don't look at me like that, Itachi — but he did. All the guards were on duty, they weren't slacking off, and your little twig of a brother still managed to slip past them all. So, it's actually their fault! You can go kill them now, if you want to," Kisame said, nodding his head vigorously.

Itachi blinked and didn't reply.

The two overlords stared at each other in silence.

'_Oh dear mother of Fish, I'm going to die_,' was all that was running through Kisame's head.

"Kisame?"

"Yes?"

"Where did he head off to?"

"Some guys in Zetsu's division say he was dragged off by two Konoha brats."

Itachi didn't reply.

"But we'll get him back, don't worry," Kisame assure hurriedly. "I mean, we're so close to finding out where their Headquarters are anyway, it shouldn't take too long—"

"Kisame."

"Yeah?"

"Where's Zetsu." It wasn't a question.

"I think he's gone to confirm something with Kakuzu down at the Experimentation Office."

Itachi thought this over for a moment, and then turned to leave.

But just as Kisame thought he was off the hook, Itachi called back, "Don't worry, Kisame. I'll kill you later."

* * *

"It's Uchiha, isn't it?" accused Neji, standing up in his seat.

"Neji, sit down!" exclaimed a girl sitting next to him, tugging on his sleeve to pull him back to his seat.

Neji ignored her.

"You're with Them, aren't you?" demanded Neji. "That whole escape story, the being in the cell next to Hinata's — that was all a lie to get into this place, wasn't it? To gain our trust?"

There were a few murmurs of agreement from the rest of the recruits.

"Oi, you shut up, okay?" Naruto retorted, standing up and looking at Neji in the eye. "You don't know shit, so you just keep your mouth shut."

"That's enough!" Tsunade roared.

The room fell silent again, and Naruto and Neji slowly sat back down in their seats.

"I have talked this over with some of the council members," Tsunade continued, "and we have come to the agreement that Uchiha Sasuke is _not_ the traitor."

Sakura exhaled a breath of relief.

"What? Are you kidding me, Tsunade-sama?" Neji asked, outraged.

Tsunade turned to where he was sitting and looked him dead in the eye.

"No Hyuuga, I'm not."

"So you suspect your own subordinates before you suspect an outsider?" voiced Neji disbelievingly.

"That's quite enough, Neji."

"But Tsunade-sama," Neji protested, "isn't it suspicious how the files only went missing the day after he arrived?"

Sasuke spoke up.

"Don't insult my intelligence, Hyuuga. If I wanted to steal something from you, I would wait until I gained your trust. Isn't that the logical thing to do?"

Neji fell silent.

"Good," said Tsunade, unfolding her arms and placing them on her hips. "Now. We're going to find out who the traitor is. It may take a few days, but we have time for that. And if the traitor is among you, running away will not help. We will track you down, and we will kill you if you try to flee. Got it?"

A few members of the audience fidgeted in their seats.

Tsunade pursed her lips.

"Right," she said, "we're going to do this by departments. You lot will be the last to be interviewed. Now, we're going to go over the details of what happened, so everyone shut up while I talk. Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Ino, please see me after this."

* * *

After the meeting, Neji pushed through the crowd, making his way to where Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were.

Sakura, spotting this, quickly tried to hurry Naruto and Sasuke out of the auditorium.

"Hey guys — are you hungry? I'm hungry. Let's go get something to—"

"Uchiha."

Naruto scowled.

"Dude, what the hell is your problem-"

"My problem is how you two can be so idiotic as to actually believe his sob-story."

"Neji, leave it," a girl standing behind him said.

Neji ignored her.

"I don't know how Tsunade-sama can believe you to be innocent," Neji sneered.

"I didn't do anything."

"Give me a reason to believe that."

Sasuke returned Neji's cold glare with one of his own.

"I don't have anything to prove to you," Sasuke said, turning around and stalking off.

Naruto and Sakura exchanged glances.

"Eh, Sasuke!" Naruto called out, running after him. "Oi Sasuke, wait up before you get lost!"

Sakura smiled nervously before sprinting after the blonde.

* * *

"Welcome back."

"It's good to be back, Orochimaru-sama," replied the hooded man that had just entered, bowing down.

"What have you found out?" asked Orochimaru, tapping his fingers lightly against the armrest of his throne.

"Many things," answered the man, standing up. "I had managed to steal some files; it's easy enough to do so once they think you're one of them. But I was unable to gain access to the Akatsuki-related documents."

Orochimaru chuckled.

"That's to be expected. Never mind. Well done. We'll go over them in a bit, shall we?"

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama."

"They didn't suspect anything?"

"No, Orochimaru-sama. Those people trust each other far too much for that."

Orochimaru tapped his chin, and called for one of his servants.

"Yes, I almost forgot that Tsunade-hime is the one leading them. Oh well, it's a pity."

The servant came rushing through the door and bowed down before Orochimaru.

"What can I do for you, Orochimaru-sama?" the servant asked.

Orochimaru surveyed him for a moment before ordering, "Prepare one of the suites for our brave spy over here. He's just come home."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," the servant said, getting up and running back out of the door.

There was a long silence, Orochimaru not taking his eyes off the entrance the servant had left through.

"I think you'll be intrigued at what I've found out, Orochimaru-sama," said the man, breaking the silence.

Orochimaru glanced at him.

"Oh really? What makes you say that?" he asked.

"Someone's escaped from an Akatsuki Detainment Unit and was picked up by a couple of kids and brought to Konoha."

Orochimaru quirked an eyebrow.

"Almost everybody in Konoha had escaped from the Akatsuki," he replied lightly.

"But this boy escaped from Unit 7," the man persisted, "under Uchiha Itachi's administration."

"Oh?" said Orochimaru, his interest piqued. "Well then, what's his name? Itachi-kun mustn't be very happy about this."

"He's been out of the city until recently, Orochimaru-sama. The boy escaped from Hoshigaki Kisame's supervision."

"Hm. I see. I knew Itachi-kun wouldn't have been that careless. And the boy's name is…?" drawled Orochimaru expectantly.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Orochimaru grinned.

"Oh really?"

"Yes. He has the same powers as Uchiha Itachi's – albeit more raw and undeveloped, but it could certainly be honed with the right kind of training. He has that sort of spirit."

Orochimaru ceased drumming his fingers.

"Poor boy," Orochimaru murmured. "He must be feeling all alone. Konoha is such a cold place. I don't know whether anything has changed since Tsunade-hime took over, but it was never welcoming to newcomers."

He chuckled.

"Well, then. That certainly is interesting. It's given me something to think over before our meeting. You may go now."

The man bowed, turned around, and made to exit the room.

"Oh, and one more thing," Orochimaru called after him. "Be sure to get plenty of rest."

"I will, Orochimaru-sama."

"You deserve it. You've been very useful to me—"

Here, Orochimaru's smile held something akin to pride.

"—Kabuto."

* * *

**A/N:**

My unoriginality only came up with Kabuto. Y'know when they had that Chuunin arc, he was pretending to be from Konoha too? -_hinthint_- Oh nevermind.

And I'd like to thank _Roses of Sharon_ for pointing out something about Naruto's character. He didn't do much in this chapter, but she gave me some concrit about his personality, which will be explained in the next few chapters.

... No Shino again D:

In case anyone was wondering about the 'Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Ino' bit, think of their professions. And if someone tells me "**NEENJA **:D", I will eat several small children.

I think this is my favourite fic to write. Because everyone in it is screwed up :D

_Lessthanthree._


	6. Chapter 6:: Memories

**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Pairing:** Various. Whatever I feel like.  
**Summary:** AU. SasuSaku. In a world where those caught out after Curfew are slaughtered, where Communism, fear and death are ways of life, and where the Akatsuki might as well be gods, Uchiha Sasuke discovers a group of people who still know what freedom means.  
**Disclaimer:** Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. Plot © me. The italised lyrics beneath the chapter title © The Last Firstborn — Celldweller.

* * *

**Chapter Six**: Memories  
_I hear the din of the screams, sorrow in streams, the smell of farewell and the gasoline_

"Uchiha Sasuke. You're up next."

Sasuke stood up from his seat as he saw Sakura walk out of the door. She waved and smiled tiredly at him.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine," she assured him. "Morino-senpai just really tires people out."

Sasuke nodded his head in acknowledgement, before walking past her and into the door. The room was bare, save for a desk with two chairs on either side. Two of them were taken up.

"Take a seat," Tsunade said, gesturing to a chair opposite her.

Sasuke sat down, and noticed a camera in the top corner of the room. _They're recording this._

"You're the last person to be interrogated, Uchiha."

"Hn."

"So, shall we start? This is Morino Ibiki," Tsunade said, introducing the man sitting next to her.

The door opened and shut again.

"Sorry I'm late, Tsunade-sama."

"And you already know Yamanaka Ino."

Sasuke turned around to see the blonde who had just come into the room out of breath and leaning against the wall behind him, panting. She gave him a small smile before he turned back to Tsunade and Ibiki.

"First off we need some background information from you," Ibiki said. "Standard procedure. Just to know you are really who you say you are. I'm going to ask you a series of questions now, all of which I want you to answer truthfully. Got it?"

Sasuke nodded again, waiting for them to bring out a lie detector or some other form of equipment. They didn't.

Ibiki stared at him intently.

"Okay. Name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Date of birth?"

"July 23rd."

"Age?"

"Eighteen."

"Name of your father and mother?"

"Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto."

"Name and age of any siblings?"

"Uchiha Itachi. Elder brother. Twenty three."

"Location before entering Konoha?"

"The Akatsuki Detainment Unit, North District."

"Cell number?"

"Five."

"Where are the rest of your family now?"

"Deceased. All of them," Sasuke added without any hesitation.

Ibiki paused before continuing. "How did you escape?"

"Chance. My brother had left the Unit on Akatsuki business and had taken his subordinates with him. A bunch of rookies supervised us. The one standing outside my cell had only started his job the day before. It wasn't that hard."

"Were there any other people with you when you escaped?"

"Three others. Some people named Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo."

"Where are they now?"

"I don't know. They were heading towards Otogakure, I think."

Ibiki looked at Tsunade.

"I think that's all the basics covered. Have you got all that down, Tsunade-sama?"

"Almost… done." Tsunade replied.

"Wait, aren't you going to ask me about the stolen documents?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"No," Tsunade said, setting down her pen. "We're pretty sure you didn't do it, and no we shall not tell you why we think so. But just because you might not have committed that crime, it doesn't mean you might not commit more in future."

"So now comes the hard bit. Uchiha, get up, turn your chair around so it faces Yamanaka and sit down again," Ibiki ordered.

Ino straightened herself up and walked away from the wall as Sasuke did as Ibiki ordered.

"So um, just relax, okay?" Ino said. "You'll feel a bit drained after, but it won't hurt, I promise."

Sasuke nodded. Ino stretched out her hands in front of her and formed a triangular shape with her thumbs and index fingers.

"_Shintenshin no Jutsu!_"

Sasuke saw Ino's body collapse to the floor and then… nothing.

* * *

"Yamanaka?"

Sasuke lifted his head up and turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Good. You're in. Now, hurry up and get the information we need. I don't know whether he'll be able to break out of it or not, but this will be the only opportunity we have, so don't waste it."

"I understand, Tsunade-sama."

* * *

"_Aniki! Can you play with me today?"_

"_Not now, Sasuke. I have a lot of homework to do. Maybe some other time."_

Sasuke blinked.

"_Ne, Okaa-san, is Aniki all right?"_

"_Of course he is, Sasuke-chan. He just has a lot of work to do right now, and he has to concentrate on his studies. Your brother will be the youngest person in the country to go to university, so he has to work very hard."_

Where was he?

"_Otou-san! Okaa-san! Aniki! I just got my report card; I'm ranked first in the… class… Otou-san? Okaa-san? Aniki? Aniki! What's happening, where are Otou-san and Okaa-san? Where are we, what's happening? Aniki, where are you going? Aniki!"_

Darkness.

"Hey."

Sasuke whirled around to find Ino standing behind him.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded.

She shrugged sheepishly.

"I can enter people's bodies. Control their actions. All that jazz," she said, smiling apologetically. "I've recently learnt how to extract memories whilst in other people's bodies, so Tsunade-sama's been using that a lot since then."

Sasuke didn't reply, watching as his brother knocked out his eight year old self and carried him away.

"Sorry about this. It's just to double-check that the information you provided us with was actually correct. Morino-senpai's methods are very reliable — he's the best interrogator we have — but they're not full-proof."

"Wait," Sasuke said, staring at Itachi's back. "How can you see him carrying me off? I wasn't conscious when that happened."

Ino turned her head and saw what Sasuke was looking at.

"You may not have seen it and you probably weren't even aware of it, but your mind was still functioning. Every other one of your senses except for you sight was working," Ino explained. "You could still hear, smell and feel everything around you. The human mind is such that it can fill in the blanks since you were still in the same place you were before you fainted. Your body recognises that. You just can't remember it because you weren't fully conscious, so you pushed the memory to the back of your mind."

"_Aniki! Where is this? Aniki, let me out of this cell!"_

"I've got to go now. You know, concentrate more. I'll try to end this as fast as I can, Sasuke."

"_You're in the Akatsuki Detainment Unit."_

"_What? Aniki, let me out! Where are Otou-san and Okaa-san?"_

"_They died three days ago. They didn't survive the experiments."_

"_What? What experiments?"_

"_You'll see, little brother."_

Sasuke curled his fists into balls and resisted the temptation to punch the Itachi in front of him.

"_Why am I in this chair?"_

"_Because we're going to perform experiments on you now."_

"_What?"_

"_This is going to hurt. Brace yourself, Sasuke."_

Sasuke looked away as men donning the Akatsuki cloaks strapped him to a chair and began to extract his eyeballs. Hearing his own screams, he could almost remember the pain.

The bastards hadn't even had had enough pity in their cold hearts to give him painkillers.

"_Don't worry, Sasuke. You'll be able to open your eyes in a week. Hopefully the chemicals won't go through the rest of your system and destroy your body like they did to the rest of our family."_

"… _What?"_

"_That's what happened to them. All of them. Every single Uchiha, by blood or by marriage was experimented on in the same way. Every single one of them died."_

"_You killed them?"_

"_That's right."_

"_I'm going to kill you."_

"_Let's wait until you can actually see me first, Sasuke."_

"_Why did you do it?"_

"_To test my limits."_

"_That doesn't make any sense."_

"_It wouldn't to you. Once upon a time, the Uchiha was a respected family. It was a name one should have been proud to bear. Now, with our greedy, cowardly cousins, they've diminished it into nothing. This revolution was coming, Sasuke, this purging. We're creating a New Order, and these are merely tests to see who deserves to live. Survival of the fittest."_

"_Bastard!"_

"_Goodnight, little brother."_

Sasuke inhaled and tried to control his emotions. He couldn't take this much more.

"_Hey, brat. Your brother's not in today, so I suppose I'll be the one dosing out your daily torture, yeah?"_

He heard sobs.

"_Kisame, that's enough."_

"_Such a waste. The Hyuuga are such a prestigious clan. Maybe you were switched at birth eh, Hinata-_chan? _Well, that's all right. I'm going to be the one getting the information out of you today. Let's see whether you're really a big a disappointment to your family as you look._"

Screams. Echoes from the Torture Chambers.

"_Please don't! I beg of you!"_

"_Tell us where your friends are!"_

"_I_—_I don't know!"_

"_Where's Konoha?"_

"_They've r_—_relocated! I don't know w—where they are now!"_

"_Lying bitch! Where's Uzumaki?"_

"_I don't know who he is!"_

"_Don't fuck with me, wench! You were with him when we captured you! Now tell us where he is, or I'll rip your fucking spine out!"_

"_N—No! I wasn't, I swear!"_

The door opened and shut with a resounding bang

"_Yo! Kisame. What'cha doing?"_

"_Fucking bitch won't tell us where that Uzumaki kid is. Says she can't remember him. Bullshit."_

"_Hah. Maybe she'll remember if we slice her head open, yeah. It'll probably trigger some memories."_

"_Idiot. What if she dies?"_

"_Then at least she'll go with a bang, right, little girl?"_

Whimpering.

"_Shut up, Deidara. Now, whore, you ready to tell me where your little friends are?"_

"_I don't know where t—they are!"_

"_Liar. Oi you, guard. Take her to the acid sprinklers. Let's see whether she'll know after a nice, long, refreshing shower."_

"_N_—_No! I swear, I don't know anything!"_

Silence.

"_Well, at least we've got a free cell now for new prisoners."_

Stop—

"_You're gonna cooperate with us, yeah?_

—it.

"_Good morning, little brother."_

That's enough. Get—

"_You're the only person in our family that's survived the experiment. Maybe I'll try it next."_

—out of my head, Ino.

"_Please! I beg of you, Itachi-sama! Not my children, please, no_—

Don't—

"_We've got too many dead bodies, Itachi-dono. What do we do with them?"_

—go—

"_Throw them in the pit. We'll burn the corpses later."_

—any—

"_What if some of them aren't fully dead, Itachi-dono?"_

—further.

"_Then the flames will kill them."_

Sasuke saw himself trick the foolish guard into unlocking his cell. He saw himself running as fast as he could out of the Detainment Unit. He saw himself hiding in the old, abandoned warehouse. He saw himself holding the metal bar, hiding behind a large crate, ready to pounce on Naruto and Ino. He saw—

—a valley full of naked corpses, all with familiar pale skin and dark hair and open, red, red, red eyes.

"_This is what remains of the great Uchiha, little brother. Take a good look, because tomorrow, it'll be like they never existed."_

"Enough!"

"_Look how far we have fallen."_

* * *

"He was shaking so badly," Tsunade observed once Sasuke had stormed out of the room.

"Yeah well, he could break out of Yamanaka's technique. That's something, isn't it?"

"I think he stomped on my arm on his way out!" Ino cried indignantly.

"Oh yes, he did that," Ibiki confirmed. "Tsunade-sama and I thought he would be angry. What did you see anyway?"

"Too much," Ino replied, rubbing her sore arm. "I don't even know where to start."

"So do we have enough information?" Tsunade asked.

"More than enough, Tsunade-sama."

* * *

**A/N:**

So I know what I want to happen in this for the next few chapters. Or arc, because I'm considering turning this into a long, long fic with many, many subplots.

I've missed writing this so much. Hee.

Yes, I meant the flashback to be all words. I wanted to focus more on the audio element and the words spoken by the characters.

Deidara was added as a tribute to **fisah, **who understands my anguish at fangirls spelling his name as _DIEdara_. I'm sorry, but it irks me so.

... I need Shino.

_Lessthanthree._


End file.
